Campaign to take the fizz out of Sodastream
In December, human rights activists in Italy targeted the Israeli company Sodastream, a manufacturer of home carbonation devices. The company's primary manufacturing facilities are located in an Israeli settlement built illegally in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The initiative coincided with Sodastream Italy's 500,000 euro advertising campaign promoting their products as Christmas gifts.
A letter documenting the many ways in which Sodastream profits from violations of international law and human rights, signed by over 900 individuals, together with nearly 30 groups, NGOs and associations, was sent to local and national retailers as well as publications and Internet sites promoting Sodastream products, demanding they terminate relations with the company.
The initial reactions to the letter have included several blogs removing articles regarding Sodastream from their sites and Italy's top weekly magazine, OGGI, publishing the letter in full stating it had been forwarded to their advertising department. (http://www.oggi.it/posta/lettere/2011/12/20/stop-alla-sodastream/).
In addition to the online initiative, actions were organized in several Italian cities, including Naples, Varese and Bologna. In Rome, twenty activists took part in a "deshelving" action in a COOP supermarket, removing all Sodastream products from the shelves. Video deshelving
Sodastream sent a response to the campaign, explaining that the factory at Mishor Adumim, in the occupied Palestinian territories, is just one of many around the world and that the company creates jobs for Palestinians suffering from a 30 % unemployment rate.
The Stop Sodastream campaign responded saying that even if they were hundreds of factories in the world, it would not change the fact that Sodastream has a plant operating in violation of international law, not to mention that it is also the main production facilities as noted in the company's own annual report. In addition, the high rate of unemployment in the occupied Palestinian territories is a direct result of the Israeli occupation from which the company draws its profits.
Stop Sodastream
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Letter to Italian retailers/advertisers of Sodastream products